


Companion

by Bow



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-16
Updated: 2011-02-16
Packaged: 2017-10-16 04:30:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/168431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bow/pseuds/Bow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aang takes Mai for a ride on Appa. For lizbee, who wanted Mai/Aang, but didn't quite get it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Companion

**Author's Note:**

> For lizbee. Thanks to idlerat for beta.

"No," said Mai, for the second time in a row. It was another bad day in a series of bad days. Zuko was still gone, and now the Avatar was trying to get her to ride his sky bison.

"It's not personal, Aang. I'm sure you're a nice guy and all, but--"

"I am! I'm a _really_ nice guy!"

Mai sighed. She thought of the statues she'd seen of past Avatars, standing straight and wearing solemn expressions, and she wished that this particular incarnation had a bit more personal dignity.

"It'll be fun!" Aang insisted. "Now that we're going to be friends, we should learn to get along with each other. Just come with me on one little trip on Appa, and afterwards I'll do something that you want to do, like throw knives at things, or--"

"So you'll do anything I want, huh?"

"Yup."

"Does that include leaving me alone?"

"Oh," he said. "Guess I walked into that one."

"So do we have a deal? You leave me in peace in exchange for taking one ride on your magical flying livestock?"

"Hey--don't call Appa livestock! He's my companion. I don't know what I would do without him."

"Sorry," Mai said, and she even meant it. It sounded nice, sort of, to rely on someone that way, or have someone rely on you--to have a friend who always took you places. It would be better, anyway, to be active and useful than idle and ornamental, tucked away at the palace while your boyfriend tracked down his mother.

"Apology accepted," said Aang. "And we have a deal."

Mai nodded. "Okay. Take me to the bison."

***

"Hey, buddy!" Appa's enormous tongue slipped out of his mouth and ran over Aang, who patted Appa's shoulder and laughed.

"This is Mai," he said to Appa, and, for want of a better response, she made him a very slight bow.

Appa snuffed in acknowledgment. It was a friendly kind of sound, soft and altogether lacking in suspicion.

Aang helped her up into the saddle, and his hands on hers were quick and warm, if a bit damp from Appa's tongue.

"Yip yip," said Aang as he gathered the reins, and there was a lifting her stomach wasn't prepared for.

In the cool air her head felt clearer. The wind, when it came, blew cold and fierce, and loosed her hair from its combs.

Appa sailed on some invisible air current, dipping suddenly and arcing back upward again. Mai grabbed onto the saddle. The sound that flew out of her without her consent was somewhere between a laugh and a yell.

Aang turned back to look at her. "You're having fun," he said with a grin. "You like Appa."

Mai shrugged. "It's not as bad as I was expecting."

"You like it! Admit it. You can't trick me--I'm the Avatar."

"Oh, just turn around and pay attention to where we're going so we don't crash into a tree."

"Appa almost never crashes into trees anymore," said Aang, but he did as she asked and faced forward.

"That's a relief."

"You know, you can ride with me whenever you want," Aang said, loud enough for her to hear him over the wind. "I think Appa likes you. If you want to climb up here next to me, I can teach you to steer."

"Looks uncomfortable," said Mai, but she clambered over Appa's neck to sit beside Aang anyway. She took the reins in her hands. Appa sneezed, and it rippled through her body like a wave. The sky was wide open before her. Mai watched Aang from the corner of her eye. She waited until he was looking elsewhere and permitted herself a smile.


End file.
